Kobe's on-court jutting jaw is too angry. Rodin's sculpture "The Thinker" is too withdrawn. The big eyes on the blue whistle of "The Little Engine that Could" convey too much whimsy.

In a sports world where we need to see displays of powerful emotion to know how much they care – so we then have our license to care – we are conditioned to look for athletes' expressions. Those invigorating expressions are usually tethered to acts of physical toughness that are simply awe-inspiring.

But no, we do not underestimate the mental toughness part. The competitive arena is a wonderful showcase for it. We are drawn to it as much as bees are drawn to honey or Hornets aren't drawn to Los Angeles these days.

It's just that there is no common expression of mental toughness – beyond the results.

The results come because of the mental toughness to stay in the gym until the stroke feels truly right, the mental toughness to study instead of party, the mental toughness to persevere through every childhood failure on the long climb to the fame.

One look into Pau Gasol's eyes Tuesday showed his emotions. Yes, the so-damning word applies, and I'll go ahead and use it freely: Gasol's eyes were soft – representative of the pain he feels from lifting the Lakers to three NBA Finals in four tries and becoming more disposable than the razors he rarely uses.

Even so, what we're getting from Gasol is as great a display of mental toughness as we'll see all season.

You can have soft eyes, because you're only real if you do feel things. But if you still get your you-know-what done, stay true to your goals and can even be inspirational rather than a weak, shameful drain on those around you (cough, Lamar Odom, cough) ... that's being a man.

That's worthy of respect. That's something we all need to aspire to when we find ourselves trying to throw up our thin-smile facades as we slog through the personal muck that is such a long way from chicken salad.

No matter how exciting it would be for Chris Paul to arrive in Lakerland, no matter how much some salivate over Dwight Howard's strength instead of Gasol's intellect, let's maintain some perspective. For one thing, it's ridiculous that so many Lakers fans are so lamenting the loss of Odom when he thinks the Lakers somehow did something morally reprehensible instead of making a strategic decision, when he didn't have it in him to keep fighting, when he ultimately did not want to be here anymore.

Sure, it hurts. It hurts Gasol, too.

Asked if he got any sense trade possibilities might be in the offing during the long summer and lockout, he said with a quiet exhale: "Not at all. Caught me off guard."

Still motivated from the Lakers' 2011 playoff failures, Gasol was thrilled the lockout ended, savoring the prospect of "the season and the challenge of so much on the table again. A lot of expectations, a lot of emotions, too."

He came in a couple days early and huddled with the new Lakers coaching staff. "Trying to get ahead," he said. "See how they were going to use me. See our principles. I was already into it.

"But then everything started."

A 48-hour whirlwind began with morning rumors followed by a meeting with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak.

"Mitch approached me," Gasol said, "and told me straight up: 'I'm sorry about all these rumors. We didn't leak them or anything. But it's something that is going on, and your name is up – and it's a possibility something might happen.' It kind of shocked me.

"But I appreciated the honesty. And then I confirmed it with my agent. And the rumors started to get really stronger. And the deal almost went through."

This has been a new life experience for Gasol, whose previous trade came only after he'd been trying in vain to get his seat to eject from an obviously doomed flight.

"I wanted out; I was ready to move on," Gasol said of his 2008 trade from Memphis to the Lakers. "I had been demanding or asking for a move for two years or a year and a half. And it happened at the least expected time. It happened great for me – and also for Memphis, as we now see more than at that particular time."

Here? Now? The Lakers can visualize landing sweetly a greener pasture somewhere. Gasol, just as Odom wasn't, isn't nearly ready to go his own way.

That was evident from one of Gasol's first quotes after he emerged from that personal episode of "48 Hours Mystery" and decided to practice with the Lakers on Saturday despite a sore quadriceps muscle and the ongoing limbo.

When I shared Gasol's comment via Twitter – "My heart is here; my mind is here" – scores of women responded or re-Tweeted with sad faces. Gasol's words jarred the women out of the cold trade-'em trance that has taken over everyone driven to see Paul and Howard become Lakers – and reminded them of the humanity – and the loyalty.

It'd be much easier for men to comprehend Gasol dunking on someone in practice and unleashing a primal scream of release. But we all need to get in better touch with what else toughness can be.

It's OK to be hurt or even go soft upon hearing bad news – and crushing news, definitely – but the mission is to keep it moving in the direction of success, even if it has to be different success.

Gasol is well aware he might yet have this all taken away from him. He has prepared his emergency landing gear for Houston or New Orleans or Orlando. He would hate to use it, but he is realistic.

"There are still talks. Mitch said it clearly yesterday, right?" Gasol said after his latest Lakers practice Tuesday. "The franchise is looking to make some moves, and one (with Odom) has been made. I think that just leads to another one. It's just for something else to happen."

What can he do about it?

Gasol said his brother, Marc, and friends in town visiting him during those 48 hours helped him lock in on his own voice of self-worth from inside:

"Whatever is going to happen, you're going to be fine. You've had an amazing career – and you'll continue to have it no matter where you're going to play. That's what you can control.

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